After being disappointed by the results of the last roll on the [Skills Banner] the decision to roll on another banner was a mix of rationality and emotion.
I wanted to progress and test what my Gift was capable of, so, getting underwhelming skills seemed to be the perfect storm for me to start trying other banners.
And well, to say that [Faster Tree Climbing] was underwhelming is still an understatement... It would be a miracle to have this become relevant for me even once during my entire life.
The [Skills Banner] was too good to pass on. But even though I knew that, this skill was the tipping point for me.
Since this banner was so good, I would eventually return to it, but... in that case, there was no need to rush.
If rolling on another banner turned out to be a mistake, I could just return to it, and with enough levels, I'd be able to roll on a variety of banners anyway.
Even if a banner turns out bad at first, with enough tickets, I can probably force at least a few good results out of it...
While harboring many feelings, in my mind, I started creating excuses for my decision. If this went on for too long it might've clouded my judgment, so I went ahead and a roll on a banner that also seemed promising.
The [Companions Banner].
However... unlike the [Skills Banner], judging whether or not I got a good result from this one proved to be difficult.
After I did my roll, a girl appeared in front of me, standing in quietude.
Her hair was a light blue color as if snow had fallen on it, it was long, reaching her back, although some reached only to her shoulder.
It was hard not to take notice of her face, such perfection couldn't be of this world... even a doll made by an artisan would fail to compete, yet she seemed like she was at peace, a humble person who wouldn't flaunt her beauty around and wouldn't think of herself as better than someone else due her looks.
It was honestly quite mesmerizing, but even if her face was that of a girl that makes you think "No way I'm approaching her, I've got no chance", her body showed no sign of unnecessary fat, even if her breasts and waist are a bit above average, it isn't something you'd call unnecessary by any means.
While I was looking at her, I suddenly recovered a proper state of mind.
It was definitely a bad first impression to be caught looking at a girl's naked body. My only hopes were that thanks to this situation being completely out of my control, she'd forgive me.
But the words that left her mouth at that moment completely shattered my hopes...
???: "...Pervert"
Those are not the first words you wanna hear from a girl.
Somehow, seeing her being spiteful hurt me internally, like venom. The way she looked at me felt cold, her eyes pierced through as if it was rude of me to even look her way.
Which, in all fairness, due to the state she was in, wasn't completely wrong.
I could understand her. Being naked and alone in a room with an unknown guy would be pretty nerve-racking for anyone, but even though this situation wasn't something I expected, I did my best to calm her.
At least, that wasn't the plan, but I underestimated the situation a little. Looking at her made me feel embarrassed since... I simply didn't know where to look, and while focusing my vision to avoid the parts she wanted to cover, my words came out as weak.
Miwen: "S-sorry I... um... I was..."
Not only that... I started talking with the intent of making things better, but I couldn't even process what I should start talking about first.
???: "For my body to be defiled by a necromancer, I guess fate really has something against me..."
... While I was still thinking about what I should say, I heard words that sent shivers down my spine.
Their meaning wasn't lost on me. For her to jump to the conclusion that I was a necromancer must mean that... she's already dead.
However... I thought this couldn't be the case. I couldn't deny it outright but... it seemed like her will was intact, as was her body.
I also didn't seem to possess any way of puppetering her and my Gift never said anything about necromancy.
She had to be mistaken.
And I had to take care of the situation one way or another, so I started by eliminating such a scenario, while also providing information.
Miwen: "I'm not a necromancer... You're here because of my Gift... I think... I summoned you and you are very much alive. You can take a look for yourself."
I could see in her expression that she was distrustful of my words. I needed to convey to her that everything was fine somehow, but it was really difficult to find the right words.
Thankfully, she was more understanding than I first thought. My words were not wasted on her.
???: "Um... Strange... I really do feel alive, but I also know for sure I've died. This place is also completely different from where I was before... so I can't think of another explanation..."
It seemed like her memories contradicted what I was trying to say, and given the information on her side, it was a reasonable explanation.
But still, being called a necromancer wasn't something I felt good about. The idea of controlling someone post-mortem... that someone wouldn't be free even after their death... it felt disgusting.
Life comes and goes, as important as the beginning is its end. To rob someone of that, would be the same as to insult their life and story.
It wasn't a power I was interested in. I'd much rather get things done by myself, and shoulder the responsibility of it.
This unreasonable banner... necromancy... I could think about these later.
I wouldn't be able to wrap my head around them in a single afternoon anyway, so I gave up on that and focused on what really mattered.
Miwen: "I'm sorry, I know it's hard to believe me, but I mean you no harm. I can use my system to give you clothes for now, but you'll need to accept being my [Citizen]. I'll unregister you soon after it if that's your wish"
Even though clothes don't equal people, showing her that I was able to summon things would give me some credence, even if a little.
I was willing to take whatever I could too since no matter how small, as long as I piled up enough proof, she should be able to trust my side a little.
???: "...Citizen? Are you a noble? S-sorry I... let me go...."
All of a sudden she became way more on guard, as if hearing what I said triggered something in her.
But I couldn't let her go in this state.
Miwen: "No way I am a noble, to be honest, I'm not even well off, I just have enough to live every day. And of course, you may leave, but then you'll have to make do with my own clothes..."
Although if she decided to do it, I'd probably try to reason with her. But it was a worthwhile bluff.
Thank God I always went for bargains instead of stylish outfits.
???: "...Umm..."
I had to be honest but also give her space. However, I knew that I also had to help her. After all, even if I was confused myself, between the two of us, I was way more at fault.
???: "If I want to leave, will you let me go at any moment?"
Miwen: "Yes."
???: "Tell me your name, and promise me in your God's name."
Miwen: "I, Miwen, promise that you may leave this house anytime you wish, should I fail this promise, may Catherine strike me down."
???: "...Alright... I'll agree to be your [Citizen], for now..."
I wasn't a strong believer in Catherine or any other God, but she at least proved her existence, so I thought it would be fine to swear in her name.
I was afraid of the loyalty of a summoned companion, but considering I was still alive after summoning her, and she seemed willing to listen, the situation turned out quite favorably for me.
Inside the [Kingdom] screen I found the [Citizens] menu.
By focusing on it, I could see myself registered as a [Citizen], as well as the option to invite someone.
The only downside was that I had to input their name.
Miwen: "For me to register you, I'll need your name if that's alright"
Since she asked for mine in order to go along with what I requested, names seemed to have quite a lot of importance for her, and I could pretty much tell why.
It's something that we also have on Earth now. Curses.
This is one of the reasons why standing out is not that good. Gather enough envy, and you're bound to have to waste some money to protect yourself from a bunch of different things.
This could complicate things, but since I gave her mine willingly, she seemed to feel at ease in giving me hers too.
???: "Sure... I'm Licia, 'The 'Frost Sword' from Redrock Village in the North Dowa Kingdom."
I only asked for her name, yet she gave me a full introduction. I wondered if this is what she usually does, or if maybe she was trusting me a little bit more.
Perhaps more important than that... I don't think the North Dowa Kingdom is something that exists in this world.
I already thought her beauty was something from out of this world, but it seems I was spot on in many ways.
It wasn't good to leave her waiting though, so I focused my mind on the [Citizen] menu and registered her.
Her expression changed a little, a touch of sadness on her face giving way to surprise. Perhaps it was due to a menu pop-up?
Miwen: "Is everything alright?"
She took a second to answer, but thankfully, it seemed like she agreed.
Licia: "Yes, I confirmed myself as your [Citizen]."
I was curious about what appeared in her pop-up that caused that reaction, but in case I could convince her to stay, I could ask her about it.
For now, I focused on spending my Kingdom Points which had yet to be used for anything.
It took me 5 points for a full change of clothes for her, since I had 7 Kingdom Points stored this was a good jab at my savings, but I would survive.
I left the clothes on the ground and turned around, the moment she started changing her hands would stop covering the parts of her body she didn't want me to see.
Now that my head was working, it was obvious that I should let her be.
Licia: "Thanks... thank you!"
I heard her sobbing while she thanked me.
Did the reality of the situation just hit her? Was she glad for the clothes or for being alive once again? Perhaps, was it due to something else entirely?
I knew nothing of the girl who seemed so happy with something so simple. Just... being alive. Having clothes to wear... or, maybe being able to trust me.
But she wasn't the only one who became more aware of the situation. When I saw her, it felt like the world had stopped spinning. It was hard to gather my thoughts, and I didn't even know what to do...
However... things were a bit more clear now. A girl crying is a simple situation, there was no need for me to think twice about what I should do.
Miwen: "Everything's gonna be alright... "
Her cries continued.
Miwen: "I'll be here for you."
She looks at me, wiping her tears.
Miwen: "You're fine now, you don't have to worry."
While I did approach her, I didn't get near enough to touch.
More than anything, I felt like she needed to know she wasn't alone.
Those words, however, were not only important for her but also for me.
This was the result of my actions, so I should move forward while making sure to take responsibility for them.
Even though I'm far from a sinless man, I couldn't take the image of her crying from my mind. I felt there that she was truly innocent, and I wanted to prevent her from feeling such deep sadness again.
To make things better for this girl... was a goal I wanted to strive for.
Few things in my life felt deserving of such effort, but I had no doubts about her.
At that moment, this took the form of a simple action. I just waited by her side until the crying stopped.
She was quite strong. Slowly, she managed to calm herself down.
Miwen: "Look, I know I said you could leave at any moment, but you can also stay here if you want, you know? At least until you can sort out what you're feeling and decide on what you wanna do..."
I hoped she'd agree with it, but it was certainly an escalation.
However, if she was to go outside now... I'm sure she'd have a hard time.
Licia: "..."
She didn't answer straight away.
I didn't want to be forceful, but I had to convince her.
While it was impossible for me to understand her completely, a few things were obvious.
If this girl had truly died. Judging by her age, and how healthy she looks, there must've been circumstances behind it.
She was now basically stranded if she really did come from a different world.
And above all else, she had nothing to her name. Nor did she have any contact with anyone.
The fate that awaited her was pretty obvious, and I wanted to avoid it at any cost.
Were I to let her go now, my actions would have only amounted to a new tragedy in her life.
Due to my own feelings on the matter, I wanted to provide her with enough so that she could stand on her own two feet.
And whatever she decided after would be fine with me.
Licia: "...What you gave me... the clothes I mean... they suit my taste, is this also thanks to your Gift?"
She caught me off guard. I hadn't even considered that.
Sure, the clothes were a product of my Gift, but I couldn't tell whether or not they came out the way they did because of my tastes, or hers. They didn't look too out of place, but they were also not very modern either.
Miwen: "To be honest... I have no idea, I don't yet understand my own Gift very well... It might be a result of my desire, yours, or a combination of both, I'd need to test more before reaching a conclusion..."
Licia: "I see... it's a mysterious but kind Gift... these are very warm..."
Strangely, the clothes I gave her didn't look particularly warm, but I guess wearing any clothing will make you warmer, at least, more than if you stayed naked.
I was also glad to have my Gift praised like this.
Licia: "So... Can I really stay here? For now, I mean..."
Miwen: "Yeah no worries, as long as you want to"
She seemed to be relieved upon hearing that.
It was a bit hard to read her expressions, and since she had been on a rollercoaster of emotions, even the most minor of things was affecting her.
Licia: "Do you want me to do anything for you in exchange? You've been very kind and... I would like to pay you back somehow..."
I'd be lying to say it wasn't very tempting to hear that coming from her, and frankly, I might never hear it from another girl as beautiful...
But still, it didn't feel right to ask for something outrageous.
She probably said it out of politeness, without actually thinking about anything specific.
Although, while I was thinking of something to ask her, it seemed like her mind wandered to a similar place, which made her turn away her gaze from me.
Taking advantage of her in this way was out of the question. I don't even think it would feel good, probably just sad.
However, there was something I could have her do for me.
Miwen: "Well... My Gift is more useful the more [Citizens] I have, so could you keep yourself registered for the time being?"
Licia: "...! That's...Fine."
Miwen: "I don't have the power to do so right now, but if you keep your registration I can get you a change of clothes tomorrow that would hopefully look more modern..."
Licia: "If you don't mind me asking, how would you do that? I thought you said you didn't understand how your Gift worked."
She went defensive all of a sudden.
I got the same feeling before, but whenever I mention being a citizen to her, she seems to get agitated.
Add to that how she got when she thought I was a noble, and I can already picture a bit of how her past life might've gone...
Miwen: "Well, there are four possibilities for that, either the clothes are completely random, they suit what either of us wants, or alternatively, it's a combination of our desires."
I could probably get them being random out of the way. Not only did she get feminine clothing, but the size was also perfect.
The little information we had wasn't enough to get the other possibilities out of the way, but... that wouldn't matter.
Miwen: "As for how we'll make it so that we get just the clothes we want... well, I'll just show you what clothing looks like here, you decide on what you want and tomorrow we will both wish for the same, unless it's random, it should come out precisely how we want if both of us want the same."
To call it a solution would be a bit extreme, it was mostly a band-aid fix, but since them being random was so improbable, I was pretty sure it was going to work.
Miwen: "How does that sound? "
Licia: "Sounds confusing. If you have the clothes to show me, why wouldn't you just let me wear them?"
Miwen: "I don't have the clothes on me, but I can still show some clothes to you... here, You can see them through this glass, look."
I show her my phone screen after searching for online clothing stores.
And I swear her reaction was unbelievable.
I mean, she seems like a 20-year-old, and for a girl like her at that age to not know what a phone is and to react like it's some sort of sorcery... that alone made my day way better.
She asked me a bunch of questions about it, and sadly I didn't know how to answer most of them in a way that she would understand.
Instead, I focused on teaching her how to look for other options and categories, really basic stuff that I would never have imagined I'd teach someone else. I also told her that tomorrow I'd use my Gift to manifest them.
With this, I could guarantee she'd stay at least one more day. It would give me the chance to explain and show her a bunch of things. Hopefully easing her into the situation.
Miwen: "...I forgot to ask, but what is your level? The higher the level of my citizens, the more I can do with my Gift."
Licia: "I am lev-.... I was level 83. Now I am only level 1, as for my skills, well... I don't have any outside the ones from the Gift I got when I was born now..."
There was a lot to unpack in what she said.
First, losing her levels... this was probably a side effect of being summoned, but I had never heard of something like that happening before.
Aside from that, there was also something quite strange.
Miwen: "When you were born? Do people get Gifts at birth in your world?"
Licia: "Yes, of course! Is it different here?"
Miwen: "We only get them at age 18 here..."
Licia: "That's... how do your people fight monsters without Gifts? How have you survived until 18?"
For the most part? We shoot them. But introducing the idea of guns to her didn't seem good. I'd probably only get bombarded with more questions, and they wouldn't lead anywhere.
Also, it wasn't completely true to say this either since I had never shot any myself.
In cities such as the one where I live, it was rare to have to worry about monsters since the areas where dungeons still rampage are usually contained.
And if a rampage does happen in a dungeon nearby, we would be evacuated while adventurers and the army take care of them.
While a few places have had rampages that were never solved due to the boss getting away, the biggest risks are at the sea or in desolate or hard to get to areas.
Since we know almost all dungeon locations, these danger zones are always under watch or restricted anyway.
So yeah, while I'd love to get an achievement for surviving until 18, the truth is that it's not that big of a feat.
Although surprisingly enough, if we're taking this as a challenge, there are a bunch of other things that will get in the way much more often than monsters.
Miwen: "Well, we have some weapons that are effective against most monsters as long as their level is not too high, and we also have a way of knowing where Rampages are happening, so people often evacuate safely and we manage to keep our distance from monsters in everyday life, outside of exploring dungeons of course."
Licia: "Hm... I've never heard of a world capable of that... but that seems nice... forgive me for being a little lost, this is quite different from where I came from."
Miwen: "It goes both ways, I'm also quite surprised by you being level 83 in the past, that would put you among the strongest in this world."
Licia: "Really? I was only a B-rank adventurer in my world... I had a bit of fame in the areas close to where I lived, but my name wasn't even worth mentioning at the capital, I doubt anyone would recognize me there..."
That was surprising. With her looks and that level, even top parties wouldn't refuse her here.
As long as her Gift was decent, she would be among the strongest top-rankers and probably a celebrity too.
Miwen: "I'm curious now, what was the level of the strongest in your world?"
Licia: "I don't know about the entire world, but at the North Dowa Kingdom the strongest was Sir Varehan Of The Silent Magic, he was level 143 and was capable of firing any magic spells without them making a sound, they were unusually fast too."
High speed and no sound... Was this sorcerer breaking the speed of sound with his magic?
It would make sense for someone who doesn't understand the concept to not fully associate the sound that comes after the visuals.
I couldn't take the possibility of his Gift making them soundless off the table either though.
Miwen: "I see, did you know him personally?"
Licia: "Not at all, he worked at the royal court, and since I never managed to go to the capital..."
It didn't look like she wanted to continue. Seemed to me like she probably couldn't go on without mentioning her own death, so it was probably better to leave it at that.
I even forgot about my mana depletion with everything that happened today. After a while, it wasn't even affecting me anymore.
However, since it was getting late, I decided to take a shower, make dinner and then sleep.
Which reminded me I had to teach her how the shower works. As well as everything else in the bathroom.
So, I decided to give her a little tour around the house. It wasn't particularly impressive for anyone on Earth, but she looked amused whenever I explained anything to her.
After bath and dinner, I let Licia sleep in my room.
As for me, the couch was good enough.
I also didn't do any rolls in the [Mana Banners].
While there was a possibility she had put on an act and was planning on attacking me at night, this wasn't really a factor for me.
The odds were ridiculously low. Frankly, had it all been an act, she deserved the kill.
What I was more worried about was in case she needed me for something. With mana depletion, I wouldn't be able to respond well or help her at all.
It's not like the mana banners provide things I can't miss either. At most, they drop something like a simple dagger or ring that doesn't have any particular effects, so I thought it was okay to skip them for now.